Five Ways to Burn off Extra Energy in Kids

Our spring break starts today and not all of the days this week are going to be nice. If my Facebook feed has been any indication this winter, there isn’t a place in Canada that hasn’t been hit with a long, cold, snowy season.

On the days that we are just staying home, but the weather isn’t cooperating, I have a list of things to do for the times that energy just needs to be burned off.

photo credit to @Gelpi on Fotolia

You know those moments. Kids get too hyper and start fighting with each other. Then the tears come out and nothing seems to make sense to anyone in the house. That’s built up energy — and it needs to go.

When we see it coming, this is what we turn to.

Dancing
Load up the songs and start dancing. Get moving with your kids for a bonus workout for you. Our girls like to dress up, dance, and sing to the music. Get out there and teach them a new dance move. You’ll be giggling and having fun in no time.

Simon Says
“Simon says jump up and down.”, “Simon says spin around.”, “Simon touch your toes.”. You get the point. Simon says them until the extra energy is gone.

Yoga
This relaxes while it burns off extra energy. Teaching purposeful body movements and breathing techniques can calm many kids. Choose a shorter session for beginners to hold their attention and make it easy enough that they can get some of the moves.

Tag
If you have the space for it, this can be a fun game with younger kids (six and under). My five and two year old like to run around and we have a circle that goes from our living room through our dining room and kitchen, then back again. It’s a small track, but they tire out fast. They also play super-heroes and run around together pretending to catch the bad guys.

Games
These are games for the TV such as XBox or Wii. There are a number of games you can buy in store (and right through your XBox) that will get your kids moving. Our girls love Fruit Ninja on the XBox. We were able to buy it right through the console. Our girls liked the trial version and they each put in their allowance to buy the game to share.

I am featuring My Yoga Online for one year and I’ve found that doing online yoga with our girls has been fun for everyone. I’ve been able to practice in my own house when the weather was bad, and our girls have taken an interest in it too, often asking me if we can ‘do yoga today’. At only $9.95 a month, you get unlimited access to all of their videos that range from beginner to advanced and include various techniques.

The winter can’t last forever (can it?). I look forward to the day when I can open the back door and take our girls outside. For now, when we get stuck inside on a cold day, this is what we do.

Disclosure: I’ve received a membership with My Yoga Online in order to feature them in some of my posts. The opinions and post ideas are my own and are not influenced.

Sheri publishes, and writes at This Bird’s Day where she shares all of the thoughts in her head without the voices. Sticking mainly with content for Canadians, Sheri shares family stories, product information and anything that fits into her (and her family’s) daily activities.